Your View: Celebrate your French Canadian heritage

La Fete St. Jean-Baptiste is rapidly approaching. It's a national holiday in the old country, the province of Quebec. Of course, no matter where you live, it is a perfect time to celebrate your French Canadian heritage.

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By GERARD R. BOURASSA

southcoasttoday.com

By GERARD R. BOURASSA

Posted Jun. 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By GERARD R. BOURASSA
Posted Jun. 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

La Fete St. Jean-Baptiste is rapidly approaching. It's a national holiday in the old country, the province of Quebec. Of course, no matter where you live, it is a perfect time to celebrate your French Canadian heritage.

Much to my distress, the two major Franco-American organizations in the area, La Ligue des Franco-Americains and the Association Canado-Americaine, are having separate flag-raising ceremonies at different times, as well as separate Masses at different churches and separate banquets at different places. French Canadian Americans of Greater New Bedford would be better off if there were more unity and cooperation.

I hope both groups enjoy an excellent turnout on Sunday. Celebrating St. Jean-Baptiste Day is always more meaningful when done with fellow Franco-Americans and Francophiles. But even if for some reason or another you can't attend events sponsored by either group, you can still commemorate St. Jean Baptiste Day. St. Jean-Baptiste, by the way, is the patron saint of French Canadians.

Go out of your way to wish your fellow Franco-Americans a Bonne Fete St. Jean-Baptiste!

Fly the Quebec flag or the Canadian flag, lower than Stars and Stripes of course (No matter what our ethnic background, our first loyalty should always be to the United States).

Write a letter to a newspaper telling how you will celebrate Saint Jean-Baptiste day or why you are proud of your French Canadian heritage. Listen to a French Canadian or Franco-American music CD. Josee Vachon, Lucie Therrien and Benoit Bourque are among my favorite artists, though my number one album of all time is a collections of songs by 11 Quebecois performers put out by Putumayo World Music.

Watch a French Canadian- or Franco-American-related movie. My picks include "The Rocket," about legendary hockey player Maurice Richard, and "Black Robe," which deals with the struggles of the Jesuits in New France and their often turbulent relationship with the First Nations.

Genealogy is a popular Franco-American pastime. We are lucky to have, in New Bedford, an outstanding facility located on the third floor at the Main Branch library downtown with a treasure trove of information about French Canadian families. New Bedford librarian, scholar and writer Paul Cyr and his staff has been helping me for years in this department.

Cook up a French Canadian dish. French meat pie, pea soup, gorton and maple sugar pie are but a few of the traditional representatives of the hearty French Canadian cuisine. May I suggest outstanding cookbook "Je Me Souviens," published by the American French Genealogical Society for hundreds more recipes.

Read a good book about French Canadians and their culture. For fiction, I recommend the great classic "Maria Chapdelaine," or if you're a Civil War buff, "The Innocent Victim," by Adelard Lanbert. Great non-fiction works about our heritage include top-notch books by Armand Chartier or Gerard Brault.

Wear a T-shirt or hat that boasts "Proud to be French Canadian American" or "Proud to be Franco-American." Sadly, you will have to have it custom made. Unlike many other ethnicities, you won't find much ready made in shops around here.

Come out of hiding my brother and sister Franco-Americans, be you in your 90s or be you in your teens. It's about time we lose our propensity to be bashful about our heritage.